Date of composition

• 200-1 BC
• The author is listed as Baruch, the assistant to Jeremiah. Supposedly, Baruch read this to the Jewish king Jehoiachin, who lived in Babylonian captivity in the mid-550s.

Type of book

• Deuterocanonical (means "secondary or less sacred scripture") for Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and some Anglican and Lutheran churches.
• Apocrypha for most Protestant churches.

Length

• 6 chapters. The first five chapters contain the book of Baruch, and the last chapter is the letter of Jeremiah (some list it as "Jeremy").

Summary

• Baruch: chapters 1-5
• Baruch tells the king that Jerusalem has been destroyed. The exiles in Babylon wept and then sent money to aid the Jews there. They sent a letter (recorded in 1:10 – 3:8) indicating their repentance for not fully following God—even dating back to the Jews' release from slavery in Egypt—and ended with praising God. 3:9 – 4:5 is a call to return to the wisdom of following God, that they have known the correct way the entire time even though they did not follow it: 4:5: "Blessed are we, O Israel; for what pleases God is known to us." 4:6 to the end of chapter 5 contains short messages: From Baruch to the scattered Jews, from Jerusalem to their neighbors, from Jerusalem to the scattered Jews, and from Baruch to Jerusalem.
• Letter of Jeremiah: chapter 6 (it is long, 72 verses)
• A copy of the letter from Jeremiah to the Jewish exiles living in Babylonia. He informs them that they will be there for a long time but not to fall away from the worship of God and worship false gods. For example, verse 64: "Know, therefore, that they are not gods; do not fear them."